Asian food vendor in hot water over hiring practices

The Nishimoto Trading Co., which sells Asian foods to various Depart­­ment of Defense facilities, has agreed to pay $400,000 in back wages to women who alleged the company illegally refused to hire them. Nishi­moto operates a facility in Chicago.

The company’s hiring practices came under scrutiny during an in­­vestigation by the Office of Federal Con­­tract Compliance Programs, which monitors government con­­tractors.

The money will be split among 71 women who applied for but were de­­nied positions as sales associates. The settlement agreement also requires the company to hire 14 women sales associates.

Note: Nishimoto took in $1.2 million in federal money last year, one-third of which will now go to wronged job applicants.

Federal contracts come with significant government scrutiny. Employers that are proactive about addressing discriminatory pay issues almost al­­ways fare better than those that wait for government agencies to force them to comply.